More subtle than the outright Orientalist and racist
characterizations of Bashar Al-Assad and Kim Jong-Un as murderous
"dictators" is the inability of the US leftists broadly to lend critical
support to oppressed nations under siege. The former is the dominant
mode of thought in the corporate media and Washington, while the latter
is the dominant mode of thoughtlessness in many left-oriented
organizations. These developments are interrelated. The complete
suppression of internationalist ideology in place of full spectrum
Empire has infected all sections of the left. US imperialism's mission
for full spectrum dominance has immeasurably increased the compulsion of
masses of people to define the world in the image of the dominant
system.

This is why only a few organizations such as Black Agenda Report, the
International Action Center, and the United National Anti-War Coalition
(UNAC) have lent critical support to the Syrian peoples and peoples of
the Korean Peninsula. Many so-called left journals and organizations
oppose such support on the basis that the North Korean and Syrian
governments are oppressive in their own right. These organizations
include Democracy Now, International Socialist Organization, and even the Intercept.
The words "regime" and "dictator" have become popular terms among these
currents to describe the leaders and governments caught in the cross
hairs of US imperialism. Each of these leftish factions uses dubious
sources at best to slander the Syrian government without any thought as
to the consequences of their actions.It took a Democratic Party presidency dressed in Black face to make it
fashionable to align with imperialist war as long as it was for
"humanitarian" purposes. Such was the case in Libya, where an alliance
of human rights NGOs and Western governments destroyed the socialist
African country in 2011 through the use of foreign terrorists. The same
labels of dictator and regime used to describe North Korea and Syria
were thrown around by the likes of Democracy Now,
giving even more impetus for progressives to support intervention in
Libya. Obama's presence so intensified the left's rightward lurch that
not even a GOP-driven administration has been able to reverse the trend.
In fact, Trump has been embraced by the corporate media and ruling
class liberals who see his assault on the DPRK and Syria as essential
tenants of the "American way of life."
We cannot continue to be misled.

US
officials said they were "deeply concerned" after Turkey carried out a
series of airstrikes Tuesday against US allies fighting ISIS in Syria
and Iraq.

A senior US defense
official told CNN that the US was given about one hour's advance notice
of the strikes by the Turkish military. The official added that no US or
coalition advisers were in the vicinity.

The Turkish government claims it is targeting the PKK. Aaron Hess (INTERNATIONALSOCIALIST REVIEW) described the PKK in 2008,
"The PKK emerged in 1984 as a major force in response to Turkey's
oppression of its Kurdish population. Since the late 1970s, Turkey has
waged a relentless war of attrition that has killed tens of thousands of
Kurds and driven millions from their homes. The Kurds are the world's
largest stateless population -- whose main population concentration
straddles Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria -- and have been the victims of
imperialist wars and manipulation since the colonial period. While
Turkey has granted limited rights to the Kurds in recent years in order
to accommodate the European Union, which it seeks to join, even these
are now at risk."

These strikes have gone on throughout the Iraq War -- often with
'clever' names -- such as Panther Operation in 2012. When Bully Boy
Bush occupied the White House, the US government did not object to these
strikes -- even when civilians were killed. Under Barack Obama's
presidency, the Turkish attacks were still tolerated.

“These airstrikes were not approved by the coalition and led
to the unfortunate loss of life of our partner forces in the fight
against ISIS that includes members of the Kurdish peshmerga,” State
Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters, using another name for
the Islamic State. He said the United States was “deeply concerned”
about the strikes. “We have expressed those concerns to the government of Turkey directly,” he added.

In a paper published on April 12 by the Washington Institute for Near
East Policy, Fabrice Balanche argued that Sinjar could be a strategic
necessity for the Kurdish Rojava region of Syria as a corridor for
trade to Iraq and Iran. The argument is part of a larger narrative that
sees Iranian designs on Sinjar as part of its “Shia crescent” linking
Tehran with Syria. In this sense, Turkey’s bombing could be part of a
large regional contest for Sinjar.

The reality on the ground is
more tragic, with thousands of Yazidi refugees on Sinjar Mountain still
taking shelter, since some 5,000 Yazidis were murdered by Islamic State
in 2014, and hundreds of thousands wish to return home to Sinjar. But
they want infrastructure and security.

The Turkish intervention adds to the tensions and makes return difficult.

Turkey
is also sending a deeper message to the US in Syria. While the US may
conquer Raqqa with the SDF, the Turkey wants to show that they will act
with impunity against the PKK or YPG in Syria or Iraq, overflying US
forces to do so if needed.

Onur Ant and Firat Kozok (BLOOMBERG NEWS) explain, "Turkey classifies the YPG as terrorists, while the U.S. sees it as one
of the most effective allies against Islamic State and has deployed
special forces to work alongside the group. The division has fueled
tensions between the NATO allies." SPUTNIK adds, "Turkey's actions in Iraq violate the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of the country, Tehran supports Baghdad's position on the
issue, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said in a
statement Wednesday." RUDAW notes, "The Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Advisor said the Turkish
airstrike on Mount Shingal which left five Peshmerga soldiers dead and
nine others wounded 'was a surprise' and that they had asked Ankara for 'clarification' with regards to the incident." And ALMASDAR NEWS reports:

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-‘Abadi issued a statement on Tuesday
condemning the Turkish military’s unauthorized incursion into Iraq’s
Sinjar Mountains today. ‘Abadi not only condemned the the Turkish military’s incursion into
northwest Iraq, he also issued a stern warning to Ankara about carrying
out such attacks in the future.